A Lesson worth Learning

A country of 5.5 Million, people far removed in the Pacific Oceon, has within two years scaled the dizzy competitive heights of World Cricket in the most exemplary fashion, narrowly conceding the 50 over championship to a freak incident, and annexing the Test championship in a final worthy of the best in Cricket!

They went from dignity in a painful defeat in July 2019, to being gracious in victory in June 2021!

The spirit in which that Test match was played throughout, the sportsmanship of the Indian team, who did not resort to any negative tactics even as the game was wrested from their control, and the humility of the New Zealand captain and his predecessor Ross Taylor after the winning runs were made upheld the spirit of the noble game throughout!

What was more appropriate than to see that demonstrated in the first ever World Test Championship final !

While more than a billion cricket mad Indian fans take time off to cope with their disappointment New Zealand will deal with their success with the modesty that has always embraced their game!

For us in Sri Lanka there are lessons to learn from the success of the New Zealanders who prior to this prestigious win destroyed England on their home soil in a Test series as well!

First the players were very professional, inspired by an administration focussed meticulously on long term planning. Second was the presence of officials of the highest integrity, totally competent in their fields.Third was a sense of pride in being a New Zealander, proud not only to represent their country but also an Administration that the players respected and trusted implicitly!

All of this combined inspired them to great heights and is indeed what one expects to see replicated in Sri Lanka in the not too distant future !

A hopeful Cricket Fan!